Henry certain to face charges

Thierry Henry looks certain to face charges of misconduct and bringing the game into disrepute when controversial referee Graham Poll's report of stormy events at Highbury goes into the Football Association.

Thierry Henry looks certain to face charges of misconduct and bringing the game into disrepute when controversial referee Graham Poll's report of stormy events at Highbury goes into the Football Association.

And the threat of a long suspension for Arsenal's prolific, but highly-strung, French striker, who had to be physically restrained from confronting the Hertfordshire official at the end of an amazing match, could have even deeper repercussions for their Premiership title ambitions than even this devastating defeat.

There can be no doubt that Poll was the arch-villain of the piece in the eyes of Arsenal, their salivating fans and their manager Arsene Wenger.

The Gunners would have gone top of the table had they beaten Newcastle ? who, instead, leapfrogged Liverpool on goal-difference to reach the summit on the back of this unlikely victory.

Poll, who sent off three players - Arsenal's Patrick Vieira and Liverpool's Dietmar Hamann and Gary McAllister at Highbury in August last year - restricted himself to just two red cards this time for Ray Parlour and Newcastle's Craig Bellamy.

But what infuriated the Gunners most was his decision to award the 84th-minute penalty from which Alan Shearer virtually ensured the Magpies would finally end their dismal record of 29 consecutive trips to London without a win and stop Arsenal's march to the Premiership summit ahead of their titanic clash with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

After substitute Laurent Robert - allegedly fouled by Sol Campbell for the penalty - made it 3-1 in stoppage time, frenzied Henry, having failed to add to his collection of 21 goals this season despite an individually brilliant display, made a beeline for Poll at the final whistle.

It needed a muscular combination of team-mates, rivals and a police officer to prevent him committing God knows what and although police rejected one suggestion that the player had been arrested and officially cautioned for his behaviour, Poll's despatch to the football authorities is sure to be damning.

The referee refused to comment on whether he feared for his personal safety at the end of the game and said: "It is not for me to make judgements on people's behaviour."

But Henry's wild ravings were a stark reminder of how he also lost his head when Arsenal felt cheated by a 1-0 Champions League defeat by Panathinaikos in Greece two months ago.

Then he also had to be held back from getting to the referee, Spaniard Melo Pareira, and, amazingly, escaped a disciplinary rap by UEFA even though millions must have seen his blatant fury on television.

Henry cannot expect any such leniency from the FA. These are troubled times for football following the trial of Leeds United's Jonathan Woodgate and Lee Bowyer and familiar tales of their new club-mate Robbie Fowler attracting police attention after a Christmas party.

There is image-rebuilding to be done and football needs it, but even though Highbury boss Wenger insists he will stand up for Henry on any charge he has to face, he surely cannot really condone the behaviour of this usually charming, friendly player who too often lets his temper get the better of him.

Wenger said: "I can understand why my players are frustrated. They are only human and when they feel an injustice it hurts them."

That is fair comment, but Wenger cannot deny the fact that Parlour's dismissal brought Arsenal's red-card tally under their otherwise illustrious manager to a shocking 39 ? seven of them this season, and a second of the campaign for England midfielder Parlour.

Wenger refused to talk about Poll's performance after the match "because every word I would say would be not very nice."

But the Frenchman added later: "It is hard to believe we lost that match. There must have been a 'mage' (sorcerer) at work out there."

He claimed: "I don't know what happened at the end of the match. I had shaken hands and gone down the tunnel. It is not my job to see what players do at the end of a match. And I'm amazed that after a game like this some people try to turn it into a trial of Thierry Henry.

"All I'm going to do is congratulate my players on how they performed when it was 11 men against 11. They showed a great spirit and a lot of talent. Even with six minutes to go and it was 10 against 10, it looked like we would win it until the penalty."

But Newcastle's veteran manager Bobby Robson, 67, accused Arsenal of being sore losers, even though he was also clearly upset with Poll's decision to send off striker Bellamy for a second bookable offence on Arsenal's Ashley Cole in the 72nd minute.

Asked about the penalty, when Campbell appeared to have made the perfect tackle to dispossess Laurent, Robson said: "Matches and championships are decided on things like that and it is part of the game.

"But people have to learn how to lose now and again and a lot of people here have not done so."

Robson confirmed he will look at the video of the match before deciding whether to appeal against Bellamy's dismissal.

He also said: "I still think Arsenal are a championship-winning side. They are mesmeric at times, a magnificent, mean machine with every part of it sparkling.

"You could see a gulf in class between the teams in the first half but after Parlour had been sent off we knew we had a chance.

"Alan Shearer asked the referee not to send him off but it was a hard match for the official and he went with his decisions.

"But we've won an enthralling match, one way or another, and won in London for the first time in 30 matches.

"We're sitting top of the Premiership. I don't know if people will take our challenge a bit more seriously now. Possibly."

Andy O'Brien's header in the 58th minute wiped out Robert Pires' 20th-minute opener for Arsenal, who were still dominant even with 10 men and should have had the game comfortably wrapped up before Parlour's dismissal.

Kanu blew a pair of absolute sitters even before Pires slotted in Cole's cross, having just failed to connect with Henry's spectacular bicycle kick from the opposite flank seconds earlier.

And when Bellamy was red-carded for a second booking it looked odds-on the Gunners winning again.

But as they poured hungrily forward, nimble Frenchman Robert twice slipped their scattered defence, earning the contentious penalty from which Shearer banged in his first-ever goal at Highbury and then netting the top-place clincher himself right at the death.

Sadly for het-up Henry there was still too much life left in him after the final whistle and now it could cost him and Arsenal dear.